Sayyid Mohammad Khatami attending in a wedding
On 8 February 2009, Khatami announced that he would run in the 2009 presidential election but withdrew on 16 March in favor of his long-time friend and adviser, former Prime Minister of Iran, Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Khatami proposed the Dialogue Among Civilizations. The United Nations proclaimed the year 2001 as the United Nations’ Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations, on Khatami’s suggestion.